DTU Technical Release Series TR-RWH 01

Partially Below Ground (PBG)

tank for rainwater storage

Instructions for Manufacture

Prepared by Dai Rees

Development Technology Unit

School of Engineering
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1203 522339
Fax: +44 (0)1203 418922
dgr@eng.warwick.ac.uk
http://www.eng.warwick.ac.uk/DTU/ November 2000

TR-RWH 01 1
 Water in
from Filter basin
rooftop
Thin Mortar
shell fillet
cover

Overflow
with U-
Tamana bend
handpump

Ground
Floating level
offtake

Stand for Ring beam

handpump

Parapet wall Waterproof

ferrocement
render

Low level
inlet

Figure 1- The Partially Below Ground (PBG) Tank

TR-RWH 01 2
 Downpipe
Filter basin
(serves as an
access hatch)

Ferrocement
Cover
Low-cost
handpump

Render
Brick
parapet

Ferrocement
with Concrete
waterproof ring beam
cement liner

Partially below ground tank sketch

TR-RWH 01 3
Introduction
Tanks for rainwater storage come in many shapes and sizes. The main distinction
between tank types are size, shape, material and whether they are sited above or
below ground.

Some of the relative merits and drawbacks of above and below ground tanks are listed
in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Pros and Cons of Tanks and Cisterns

Tank
Pros Above ground structure allows
for easy inspection for cracks or
leakage
Many existing designs to
choose from
Can be easily purchased off-
the-shelf in most market
centres
Can be manufactured from a
wide variety of materials
Easy to construct for traditional
materials
Water extraction can be by
gravity in many cases
Can be raised above ground
level to increase water pressure
Cons Require space
Generally more expensive
More easily damaged
Prone to attack from weather
Failure can be dangerous
Cistern
Generally cheaper due to lower
material requirements
More difficult to empty by leaving
tap on
Require little or no space above
ground
Unobtrusive
Surrounding ground gives support
allowing lower wall thickness and
thus lower costs
Water extraction is more
problematic often requiring a
pump
Leaks or failures are more difficult
to detect
Contamination of the tank from
groundwater is more common
Tree roots can damage the structure
There is danger to children and
small animals if tank is left
uncovered
Flotation of the cistern may occur
if groundwater level is high and
cistern is empty heavy vehicles
driving over a cistern can cause
damage

The partially below ground (PBG) tank incorporates the merits of both above and
below ground tanks in one simple, low-cost design. The PBG tank takes advantage of
the support given by the soil, to do away with the need for a structural component
below ground level. At the same time protection is given against contamination by
surface runoff and damage by vehicles.

TR-RWH 01 4
To date (November 2000), about 20 of these tanks have been built in SW Uganda
using render linings, often without the chicken mesh. The reports from the field have
been good, and feedback suggests that the tanks are easy to construct by masons with
some training, at a reasonable cost. A training course for masons was held Kyera
Farm, Mbarara, Uganda in June 2000 and 8 local masons were trained in the art of
constructing the PBG tank. The instructions given here for manufacturing the tank
were developed for this training course.

WARNING: The PBG tank is suitable for construction where the soil conditions are
stable e.g. in the lateritic soils of East Africa. If there is any doubt about the stability
of the soil, then seek further advice. Working in soils that are unstable can be very
dangerous, even fatal.

Instructions are given in a step-by-step guide and these should be followed carefully,
especially the tips relating to curing and quality of workmanship. It is worth bearing
in mind, however, that materials availability varies from place to place, and so where
a given material is not available, a substitute can usually be found and the necessary
amendments made.

The instructions given below are for the construction of the PBG tank without the
cover or handpump (although the cost of the cover is included in Table 2).
Instructions for the manufacture of the cover and the handpump are given is
separate documents TR-RWH 04 and TR-RWH 09 respectively.

Neither is any detail given for sizing the tank in terms of demand and supply. This
information can be found in many RWH texts or on the DTU Web Page at
http://www.eng.warwick.ac.uk/DTU/rainwaterharvesting/index.html

Tools and materials required

Tools the tools listed below are for the construction of the PBG tank without the
cover or handpump.
2 shovels
pick
2 buckets
masons hammer
wheelbarrow
plastering tools (if plastic liner is not being used)
bricklayers trowel
spirit level
handsaw for making wooden profile
bucket on a rope for lifting out soil
wooden mallet (can be home-made) for tamping walls

TR-RWH 01 5
 Materials
The following are the materials required for a 10.8 cubic metre, ferrocement lined
tank.
Table 2 - Materials requirement for the 10.8 cubic metre ferrocement lined PBG tank
Item Tank component
Ground Ring Excav- Parapet Parapet - Internal Internal Cover Placing Totals
leveling beam ation wall external render render- cover
and ring render - first second
excav'n coat coat
Cement (OPC) - kg 30 50 25 100 200 50 10 465
Sand - kg 60 300 125 300 600 150 50 1585
Aggregate (<50mm) kg 120 120
Bricks (angled) - no 300 300
Chicken wire (0.9m wide) - m 24 24
Staples - kg 1 1
Waterproof agent - kg 4 4
6mm rebar - m 20 20
8mm rebar - m 20 20
Coffee tray mesh - (0.9 wide) 4.8 4.8
-m
Binding wire - kg 1 1
Basin for filter 1 1
Labour (skilled) - days 0.25 1 2 2 2.5 1 0.5 9.25
Labour (unskilled) - days 1 0.5 10 2 2 2.5 1 0.25 19.25

Table 3 - Costs for the PBG outlined in Table 2

Number reqd Unit cost Total cost Total
(Ugandan (Ugandan
Shillings) Shillings)
Cement (OPC) - kg 465 300 139500 62.84
Sand - kg 1585 20 31700 14.28
Aggregate (<50mm) kg 120 25 3000 1.35
Bricks (angled) - no 300 52 15600 7.03
Chicken wire (0.9m wide) - m 24 1667 40008 18.02
Staples - kg 1 2500 2500 1.13
Waterproof agent - kg 4 4000 16000 7.21
6mm rebar - m 20 230 4600 2.07
8mm rebar - m 20 385 7700 3.47
Coffee tray mesh - (0.9 wide) - 4.8 4350 20880 9.41
m
Binding wire - kg 1 2000 2000 0.90
Basin for filter 1 1000 1000 0.45
Labour (skilled) - days 9.25 5000 46250 20.83
Labour (unskilled) - days 19.25 3000 57750 26.01
GRAND 388488 175.00
TOTAL
Total materials 284488 128.15
Total labour 104000 46.85
Exchange rate as of July 2000 (1.00 = USh2220)

TR-RWH 01 6
Instructions for manufacture
1. Finding a suitable site
1.1. The first step is to find a suitable site for the tank. Some pointers for what
constitutes a good site are given below:
Close enough to the dwelling to avoid long lengths of guttering and
downpipe (some suggest siting the tank mid way along the length of a
building to reduce gutter size this is fine if water from one side of the
building only will be fed into the tank)
Reasonably flat where possible otherwise the ground will have to be
levelled before marking out
Away from areas where surface water will gather (i.e. depressions)
Away from trees the roots of trees can be problematic
Away from areas where animals will wander or else the tank should be
fenced off
Not so close to the dwelling that the foundations of the dwelling are
undermined
Somewhere convenient for extracting water e.g. close to the kitchen area

1.2. The ground should be suitable for digging and for siting such a tank. There
should be no large stones, bed rock or sheet rock close to the surface, and one
should be sure that the groundwater table in the area is several meters below
the bottom of the tank. This information can often be gleaned from locals
who may have tried digging wells, sinking boreholes or digging garbage pits.

Figure 2 - Showing the cleared ground and the markings in place for the ring
beam

2. Deciding what depth the tank will be

2.1. As mentioned earlier, the sizing of the tank in terms of supply and demand is
not given in this document. It is assumed that the sizing of the tank has been
carried out correctly.

2.2. The nominal diameter of the tank is given as 2m. All the sizes given in these
instructions are for a tank of 2m nominal diameter. The actual internal
diameter is slightly less than this.

TR-RWH 01 7
 2.3. The actual volume of the tank is dependant, therefore, upon the depth of the
tank. Table 2 below shows the volume of the tank for a number of given
depths (the depth is total depth from the top of the parapet wall, which is
1.0m high).

Table 4 - depths and volumes for PBG tank

Volume Depth of Add 1m for the Total depth of tank
(cubic cylindrical parapet wall and (given from top of
metres) section to 0.95m for the parapet to base of
be dug hemisphere hemisphere)
8.0 0.55 1.95 2.5m
9.4 1.05 1.95 3.0m
10.8 1.55 1.95 3.5m
12.2 2.05 1.95 4.0m

3. Casting the ring beam

3.1. Mark out two circles with inner and outer diameters of 1.9 and 2.2m
respectively (i.e. radii of 0.95 and 1.10m respectively). This gives a ring beam
of width 0.15m (150mm)
3.2. Dig between the lines to a depth of 150mm keeping the trench neatly trimmed
and clean. A machete can be used for trimming the walls of the trench to get a
good, clean finish. When completed clean out any loose earth from the
trench.

Figure 3 - Casting the ring beam

3.3. Make a concrete mix of 1:2:4 (cement : sand : aggregate), using the quantities
shown in Table 5. Be sure the concrete is well mixed and then place the mix
into the trench being sure that any air voids are removed by vibrating the
concrete with a stick. Remember that wet concrete mixes will have lower
final strength, so keep the mix workable but not too wet.

TR-RWH 01 8
 Table 5 - Quantity of material required for the ring beam
Approximate quantity
required
Material Kg
Aggregate (<50mm) 120
Sand (clean, graded) 60
Cement (Ordinary Portland) 30
Water (clean) Enough to make the mix
workable

3.4. The ring beam should be covered and cured for 7 days before any further
work is carried out (keep the concrete wet during the curing period). Keep the
beam covered with polythene during this time and wet the concrete at least
twice a day.

Radius 0.95m

Radius 1.10m

Figure 4 Dimensions for marking for the ring beam

4. Excavating the hole

4.1. When the beam has cured the hole can be dug. Use Table 4 to decide what
depth of hole is required. The sides of the tank should be kept reasonably
vertical. This can be checked occasionally using a plumb line or a masons
spirit level.

4.2. As a rough estimate of the time and manpower required to dig the hole, use
the figure of 1 person-day per cubic metre of excavation.

4.3. The bottom of the hole is shaped like a hemisphere or an inverted dome. This
shape is easily dug with a shovel. A rod can be placed centrally in the ground
and a piece of string used as a guide if there is any difficulty.

TR-RWH 01 9
Figure 5 Excavation of the tank

Figure 6 - Plumbing the walls to keep them vertical

5. Building the parapet wall

5.1. The parapet wall is built to a height of 1.0m. It is recommended that bricks be
cast and fired especially for the construction of the tank to the dimensions
shown in Figures 7 and 8 below. Where this is not possible, it is
recommended that a standard 100 x 75 x 225 fired house-brick is used,
although other (larger) sizes can also be used.

Figure 7a Showing the mould used for Figure 7b - The bricks with profiled ends
casting the bricks used for the parapet
wall

TR-RWH 01 10
 5.2. The number of bricks required depends on the actual brick size, but assuming
the dimensions are as given above, then 24 bricks per course will be required.
For a height of 1.0m this will be a total of 240 to 270 bricks (10 or 11 courses
depending on thickness of mortar used). This represents 6m2 of brickwork.

5.3. Bricks should be laid with a mortar mix of 1:6. When placing the final course
of bricks two small gaps should be left, one for handpump pipe, which will be
placed later, and the other for the overflow pipe. This should also be cast into
the wall at this stage.

5.4. The overflow trap (see Figure 9) allows overflow water to escape from the
tank while preventing mosquitoes from entering the tank. The U-trap is filled
with water and so mosquitoes cannot pass. A mosquito mesh also prevents
mosquitoes entering the overflow pipe. The trap is made from 50mm (or
similar) plastic pipe. If the U-trap is not used then mosquito mesh should be
fitted over the end of the overflow pipe. The tank owner should be advised to
replace this if damaged or removed.

5.5. When complete, the parapet wall can be externally rendered. This is not
essential but makes the tank look better.

250mm

7.5o
angled
brick ends
100m

225mm

a/ b/

Figure 8 - a/ where bricks are cast and fired specially for tank construction, they can
be cast with a slight angle at each end. To minimise the amount of mortar used the
bricks should be cast with an angle of 7.5o on each end of the brick b/ showing actual
dimensions of brick cast for tank construction

TR-RWH 01 11
 5.6. Material requirement for wall

Table 6 Quantity of material required for the parapet wall

Approximate quantity required
Wall Render
Material kg
Sand (clean, graded) 300 25
Cement (Ordinary Portland) 50 125
Bricks 300
Water (clean) Enough to make the mortar workable

U-trap Parapet wall note that

filled with the inlet to the trap is
water below the top of the
wall

Figure 9 The U-trap

5.7. Allow 2 skilled person-days and 2 unskilled person-days for building and
rendering the parapet wall.

Figure 10 - showing the construction of the parapet wall

6. Lining and water-proofing the tank

6.1. Any sharp stones or roots protruding from the wall should be removed.
Where holes have appeared due to stones having been removed, these should
be filled with clay soil and tamped hard and level with the surrounding
surface.

6.2. It is very important to achieve a waterproof lining for the tank. As mentioned
earlier, one of the drawbacks of an underground tank is that it is difficult to

TR-RWH 01 12
 detect leaks. We, therefore, need to be sure that the tank is well lined and will
not leak under normal usage. Good workmanship here is essential.

6.3. Ferro-cement render. This technique is based on the well-known ferrocement

technology that has been well documented (see Watt, 1978 and Gould and
Nissen Peterson, 1999). The technique involves using a composite of cement
render and galvanised chicken wire mesh. A water-proofing compound
(readily available in most countries) is added to the cement render. The
procedure for application is given here:

A thin coat (~ 1cm) of 3:1 cement render is applied evenly to the wall of
the tank. When the render has started to set (after about 30 minutes), score
the render lightly to provide a key for the next layer.
This first coat is allowed to cure for 2 days. The top of the tank should be
covered with a plastic sheet during this time and the walls regularly and
liberally sprinkled with water.

Figure 11 - showing the rendering in progress

A layer of 1 chicken wire mesh is then applied to the render. This mesh is
fixed to the render using galvanised fencing staples. Care should be taken
to lay the mesh as flat as possible onto the render.
When the chicken wire is in place the second coat of render can be
applied. This is again a 1:3 mix, but includes a waterproofing agent, which
is added during the mixing. Any proprietary waterproofing agent can be
used and the manufacturer's instructions followed regarding the quantity to
be added. The second coat of render should be applied in a similar fashion
to the first about 1cm in thickness (although it may be thicker in places
to cover the chicken mesh). This second coat of render should be cured for
7 days as described above.
The gap around the overflow pipe should be sealed using a waterproof
mortar. This is done before the cover is fitted.

Scaffolding or ladders should be used when rendering the walls of the tank.
See Figure 12

TR-RWH 01 13
 Material requirement for render:
Table 7 Quantity of material required for the ferrocement lining (1:3 mix
approx. 21m2)
Approximate quantity required
Material kg
Sand (clean, graded) 600
Cement (Ordinary Portland) 200
Water (clean) Enough to make the mix workable

Waterproofing agent e.g. Leak Seal As per manufacturers instructions

Waterproofing Compound @ 2%
Chicken mesh (0.9m wide) 24m length
Staples 1 kg (fencing staples)

Figure 12 - Ladders and boards used to provide a working platform

7. Fitting the handpump

7.1. More detail of the handpump is given in another DTU publication TR-
RWH 09 Low-cost handpumps for water extraction from below-ground
water tanks - Instructions for Manufacture. The fitting and fixing procedures
are dependant on the type of pump used.

8. Making and fitting the cover.

8.1. The manufacture of the cover is discussed in a separate document TR-RWH
04 " Low-cost, thin-shell, ferrocement tank cover - Instruction for
Manufacture". The cover is made independently of the tank and is fitted when
complete.

TR-RWH 01 14
 Figure 13 - The tank with cover in place

8.2. The cover is easily lifted into place by 4 6 people. It weighs in the region of
200kg and the lifting height is 1m. Care should be taken when lifting the
cover and proper safety precautions should be observed.

8.3. The cover will be mortared into place. A 2cm thick mortar is placed on top of
the parapet wall and the cover is placed onto the mortar. The mortar is
smoothed to seal the cover onto the wall. The mortar is also smoothed on the
inside of the wall / cover joint to form a continuous waterproof lining.

9. The filter is part of the cover. When the cover is manufactured, a plastic basin is
used to form the access opening. This basin is then left in place, filled with coarse
gravel and covered with a fine cloth. The cloth filters out any coarse debris and
should cleaned when dirty and replaced when damaged. It is easy to monitor the
condition of the cloth as it is in clear view on top of the tank. The owner of the
tank should be made aware of this.

Figure 14 - Showing two types of handpump (DTU and Tamana), filter basin and
externally rendered parapet wall, on this demonstration tank at Kyera Farm, Mbarara,
Uganda. The guttering has not yet been fitted.

TR-RWH 01 15
10. Guttering and pipework
10.1. The guttering and downpipe are not specified. This is due to the wide
variation in the styles available. This is left to the discretion of the installer.

10.2. In the general diagram in Figure 1, a low-level inlet is shown. This

helps to prevent disturbance of the water and directs sediment to the bottom
of the tank. The floating intake then takes water from just below the water's
surface, where is cleanest. This arrangement is not essential but it is desirable,
especially where the water is used for potable supply. The fitting of the low-
level inlet again is left to the discretion of the installer. The floating intake is
discussed in TR-RWH 09.

11. Maintenance. The maintenance of the tank is quite simple. The following steps
should be followed:

The tank should be cleaned annually - at the end of the dry season, the tank
should be emptied and any debris in the bottom of the tank removed.
The filter should monitored to make sure that it does not become blocked. If
the cloth becomes damaged it should be replaced.
The overflow should be covered with mosquito mesh at all times.
The tank and associated guttering and pipework should be kept in good
general repair. Any damage or faults should be rectified as soon as possible.
The maintenance of the pump is discussed in TR-RWH 09.

TR-RWH 01 16